Valentine’s Day in Vegas: 7 Delightfully Extravagant Options

Where better to spend Valentine’s Day than Las Vegas? More marriages take place here than in any other city in the country, and it’s rightfully earned the nickname the Marriage Capital of the World. But even if you’re not planning to pop the question, there’s nowhere better for a guilt-free splurge with your significant other. Here are seven over-the-top ways to indulge in and around the Strip this Valentine’s Day.

A Helicopter Ride for Two

Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas

Hunkering down for a two-night stay in a Strip-view suite at the Four Seasons is romantic enough, but what about pairing that with a private helicopter trip and picnic to some of the area’s most gawp-worthy views as part of the hotel's special Natural Wonders package? Grab your picnic basket before hopping a private transfer to the helicopter ride. It starts with a pit stop at the red sandstone desert nicknamed the Valley of Fire, before swooping down more than 3,500 feet to the base of the Grand Canyon near the West Rim, where you can graze on that picnic overlooking the Colorado River. The return jaunt includes flybys that take in Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam and, of course, the Vegas Strip as dusk settles. Bookings: lasvegas.concierge@fourseasons.com or call 702-632-5300. From $7,495 per couple.

Dinner with a Michelin-Starred Chef

Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

If you visit the Mandarin Oriental on Valentine’s Day, look for the black top hat-wearing chef in the kitchen at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire—it’s the French Michelin-hogging maestro himself. Gagnaire wears a top hat for special occasions like this five-day residency cooking at the Las Vegas outpost; his only stateside restaurant, it’s tucked away on the 23rd floor of the hotel with superb views across the Strip. Combine Gagnaire’s six-course menu and wine pairings ($740 per couple, plus service) with two nights in the hotel’s Emperor’s Suite ($7,500 per night) and an indulgent three hour-long joint spa session, The Art of Romance, at one of the Mandarin Oriental’s signature Dragon suite ($1,200 per couple).Bookings: mandarinoriental.com. Gagnaire will be cooking February 13-18. $16,940 per couple.

Dry-Aged Beef and Holy Grail Burgundy

At Delmonico’s Steakhouse in the Venetian Hotel, chef de cuisine Ronnie Rainwater will not only design a tasting menu tailormade to his guest’s specific tastes, but personally serve each dish to the small group of diners who book a space at his chef’s table inside his mentor Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico Steakhouse. Each of Rainwater’s dishes—expect riffs on steakhouse classics like truffle parmesan potato chips, dry-aged prime rib—will be paired with a wine from the restaurant’s award-winning cellar, from a 1996 Krug Brut Cos de Mesnil ($2,495) to an ultra-rare 2000 Domaine Romanée-Conti Grand Cru($29,995). Bookings: 702-472-7692. Two seatings available on February 14th. $56,045 per couple.

Cotton Candy Foie Gras

Come hungry for a special tasting menu at Bazaar Meat in the SLS Hotel, an outpost of the empire helmed by genial Spanish chef José Andrés. Executive chef Alex Pitts will cook up a greatest hits of dishes from his menu, including Cotton Candy Foie Gras and suckling pig, each paired tableside with a cocktail or hand-selected glass of wine. Pitts will personally host guests, as well as sending them home with an unforgettable memento of the evening: a hand-forged utility chef’s knife from bladesmith Don Andrade of California Custom Knives. Bookings: bazaarmeat@slslasvegas.com. $2,000 per couple, plus tax and gratuity.

Ultra-Luxe Dim Sum

From February 11 through 14 at Hakkasan in the MGM Grand, the upscale Chinese import from London is offering a moreish tasting menu: Graze on a signature Hakka dim sum platter, as well as wok-fried tiger prawns and whitebait fried rice, all washed down with a bottle of Champagne. If you’re still hungry, indulge with an extra couple of courses, both of them built on Peking duck: first served shredded, to roll up in pancakes and sprinkle with caviar, then stir-fried. Bookings: mgmgrand.com. $501 per couple, plus service.

Black Truffles and Golden Caviar

A decade after Guy Savoy opened in Caesars Palace, this 75-seat, boudoir-like dining room remains one of the most intimate and romantic spots anywhere on the Strip—and it’s also the only restaurant where you can taste Michelin-starred chef Guy Savoy’s cooking anywhere outside France. For Valentine’s Day, the restaurant is offering an eight-course tasting menu, starting at $340 per person: expect crab salad with golden caviar, artichoke and black truffle soup or roasted free-range quail. Just remember not to spritz that eau de toilette before you arrive: Savoy forbids flowers in his restaurant and his staff from wearing fragrance so those scents won’t disrupt the flavors of his delicate cooking. Bookings:caesars.com. From $340 per person, with additional surcharges for certain dishes.

The VIP Experience at BAZ: Star Crossed Love

Last October, the Venetian took temporary custody of the 36-foot long LOVE sculpture after its stint at the local Life is Beautiful festival by Laura Kimpton. Before it returns downtown for that fest’s edition this year, snap a romantic selfie or two in the hotel’s Waterfall Atrium before heading into the theater nearby for a VIP package at Baz: Star Crossed Love, the hotel’s latest review. The gilt-edged mashup of Luhrmann movies swirls together vignettes and songs from his romantic melodramas like Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!—book a pair of on-stage seats, and soothe the pain of the doomed lovers around you with a bottle of and sip a bottle of Quintessa Cabernet Sauvignon.Bookings: venetian.com. $623 per couple.